Translation Process

When we receive a project, it is assigned to one of Localsoft's project
managers who will analyze and distribute the work, depending on the project's
size, to one or more translators, and to a proofreader who will double-check
the translation before it is returned to the client. If the project is
to be translated into more than one language, a team for each language
is established. Our project managers prepare localization kits for each
translator. Working with localization kits provides invaluable support
for our linguists and allows them to get a better understanding of the
scope and content of the project.

With the translation phase underway, we continue to review the original
text to check for possible issues that might come up throughout the translation
phase and we offer continued support to our team of translators.

When the translations are complete, the translators proof their work and
then submit the text to our proofreaders. All questions are asked and answered
by our translators, proofreaders, coordinators and project managers before
the text moves to the next phase. When the fully translated and proofed
text is ready for text flow and DTP, our designers take over. They then
flow the text into the original design to make sure the translated product
has the same look and feel as the original.

Tips for Document Preparation
A document that is destined for translation should be prepared with that
end in mind, attending to clarity of content, consistency and correctness.
Ambiguous terms, misspellings, poor punctuation, inexact or inconsistent
terminology, lack of or unclear instructions in the original affect the
quality of the translated document. As the source document is the sole
reference of a translator’s work, a well-written original document
enables a translator to work more effectively.

We offer these pointers for preparing materials for subsequent translation
and localization. Following these guidelines will help our team work more
efficiently on your project:

COHERENCE: The text should
be understood at first reading. The message must be clear and precise,
leaving no doubts or questions as to meaning.

CONCISENESS: Foreign text can
easily be 20% to 30% longer than English, so sufficient space should
be provided to allow for a correct localization. If the localized text
is for printed material, please also keep in mind possible font and text-flow
issues.

CONSISTENCY: Be consistent
in spelling, language, tone, use of terminology and formatting throughout
your document and across all platforms. This is essential to maintain
your product and company image across global markets.